A Breath of Fresh Air
by Riku-Rocks
Summary: After breaking his deal with Hades, Cloud discovers that the light he's been searching for might be closer than he thought. To the ex-SOLDIER, a new companion and a new outlook on his situation are like a breath of fresh air as he moves forward once more.


Author's note: This story was written for jediempress' birthday. For those who might wonder, White Day is a real holiday in Japan. Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money from this work of fiction. Thank you for reading and enjoy. ^_^

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Cloud was sitting on the stairs of the Coliseum, deep in thought. He had finally segregated himself from Hades and he knew he should feel good about that. He did, really, but there was something else… The boy he had fought reminded him of another boy he had recently become acquainted with; a boy he could honestly call his friend.

With a sigh, the azure-eyed man realised what the problem was; or at least, he thought he did. He had lost, in some form or another, each of his other friends. He did not want to lose the boy as well. It had been easy, or as easy as they could expect, to see each other while he was working for Hades and the boy was serving Maleficent…now, he doubted the witch would take well to the boy seeing him.

"Cloud!"

The blonde man looked up and saw the very teenager he was thinking of running towards him, looking oddly relieved. "Riku…?"

"I heard you turned on Hades," stated the fifteen-year old as he skidded to a halt in front of the spiky-haired man. "Phil said something about Cerberus…are you all right?"

The blonde man stood and started to turn away, deciding they may as well get it over with if their friendship was about to end. "Yeah, as all right as I can be…"

"Hey," the boy grabbed his cape when he tried to ascend the stairs. "Where are you going? What are you going to do now?" The silvered teen dropped Cloud's cape as he turned to face him once more.

"I'm going to keep searching," The blonde man nodded, almost to himself. If this boy could keep fighting to find his friends, knowing they could work it all out once they were all together again, then Cloud could do the same. "It'll be harder on my own, in some ways, but it will be worth it not to have to jump through anyone's hoops."

The cyan-eyed teen nodded, looking nervous, "Will I see you again?"

Cloud blinked at the note of fear in the teen's voice, realising he had never heard it before. "Do you want to?"

Riku rolled his eyes, "Of course, dummy; would I ask if I didn't care?"

The azure-eyed man could not help but grin at that. It was nice having someone who cared again...even if the boy caused him to worry quite often as well. "Then, yes, you'll see me again. I don't know how Maleficent will take it though."

The silvered teen shrugged lightly. "She obviously needs to use me for something, or she wouldn't be helping me. My relationship with you hasn't gotten in the way of whatever her plan is, and having me fight her over you will just make things difficult. I don't think it will be a problem, if it is, just leave her to me."

Cloud scoffed quietly and shook his head slightly…as if he would let Riku face the witch's wrath alone. There was hope that it would not come to that, though, as the teen had said, Cloud did not pose any threat to her plans. Until he saw a need to step in, he could do as the teenager asked. He nodded, feeling the slightest tug of a grin. "So what brings you here anyway? You couldn't have heard about everything from Maleficent's castle already."

"Huh? Oh, no…I heard about that once I arrived and asked Phil if he'd seen you." The boy's cheeks flushed softly and his grin was somewhat less confident than usual. Cloud arched and eyebrow, and Riku continued; "Today's a holiday back on the world that I come from…I wanted to give you something."

The blonde man wondered why the silvered teen would be so uncharacteristically nervous about that, but decided that asking would probably just embarrass him more. Instead, he simply nodded his head once, "Okay. I don't have anything for you though…"

"That's fine," assured the cyan-eyed teen. He tugged on Cloud's cape again, encouraging him to turn this time, "Here, turn and face the stairs. It'll be easier that way."

The azure-eyed man did as he was bade, allowing the smirk he had been fighting show on his face when Riku trotted around him and up the first couple of steps before turning to face him so they were level with each other. He would never admit how adorable he found the teen at that moment, and vaguely, he wondered how long it would be before the kid did not need to stand on anything to match his height.

The silvered teen placed a hand on Cloud's chest and leaned forward slightly. Strong hands instinctively reached forward to grab slender hips as Cloud had to bite back a chuckle, wondering if the boy had thought this through and considered that he could have ended up hurt and humiliated.

Riku's blush grew stronger, but his voice was level, cheerful even, as he said "Happy White Day, Cloud."

The blonde man distantly wondered if it was a tradition to look into someone eyes when they wished them a happy White Day, and why Riku would not have just looked up to do so rather than teeter on his toes on the stairs, not that Cloud was about to let him fall and hurt himself.

All thoughts ceased abruptly, however, when Riku closed the small distance between them and pressed his lips to Cloud's own.

The kiss was inexperienced, chaste, and could have just been an innocent gesture between a boy and his friend on a holiday. For all Cloud knew, it could have been a tradition. However, something about the flush colouring Riku's cheekbones and the searching quality to his eyes when he pulled away told Cloud that there was more to it than that.

"Was that…all right?" questioned the silvered teen.

The blonde man knew he should say 'no' and that it was not all right for fifteen-year-old boys to be kissing twenty-three year old men like that…but damned if he could remember why at the moment.

The next thing Cloud knew, he had pulled the boy closer and whispered, "Happy White Day, Riku," before kissing the teen in a way that was far from inexperienced, chaste, or innocent.

To the blonde man's pleasure, he discovered that Riku caught on as quickly to kissing as he did to swordplay. Before such thoughts could follow their natural course into much more adult territory than the teenager was probably ready for, Cloud broke the kiss. Both males simply stared at one another as they caught their breaths for a moment, each wearing a rare, soft smile.

Riku's breath evened out first, and his smile faded slightly along with his heart rate. "Er, do you know what White Day is?"

Cloud shook his head slightly, "Not a clue."

"Okay…" The cyan-eyed teen seemed to think for a second before nervously asking, "Did you kiss me just because you figured that's what people do…or something like that?"

"No," the azure-eyed man smirked again as he took the boy's hand. "It just seemed like a good excuse."

The silvered teenager seemed slightly surprised by that response. "Were you looking for one?"

Now it was Cloud's turn to feel slightly embarrassed. "I think so…I was just so busy trying not to think about how attached to you I was becoming that I missed exactly what sort of attachment I was feeling."

A silver eyebrow arched quizzically, "…And now?"

"And now, I want to kiss you again…without any excuses. Is that all right?"

"I think so," the teen replied with a smirk. "That is what lovers do, right?"

The blonde man's eyebrows shot up; "Lovers?"

"Yeah, well…'boyfriend' just makes me sound like some hormonal teenage girl." Cyan eyes narrowed threateningly as the teen pointed at the man, "Not a word."

"I wasn't going to say anything about _that_," Cloud held up his hands in a placatory gesture before rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully, "It's just- Aren't you a little young for a lover?"

"Hey, you didn't have a problem with it twenty seconds ago." Riku crossed his arms and gave the older male a stern look. "If I can handle being responsible for the fall of my world, search the universe for my friends and a way to make it all right again, be the pawn of some evil witch, and fight a crap load of Heartless all by myself, then I think I can shoulder the responsibility and emotional strain of a physical relationship." The boy shrugged and made to turn up the stairs, "Of course, if you don't think so-"

"Hey, I didn't say that;" Cloud grabbed the back of the teen's shirt of pulled him back down the stairs. He shifted his hand to the boy's shoulder and rested it there as Riku turned to face him. "I just wanted to make sure you understood the significance of the term and that _you _felt you were ready for that. I think your opinion means more than mine here, so long as you understand it all fully."

"I'm fifteen, Cloud, not twelve," Riku stated as he rolled his eyes. "Of course I know what the term 'lover' entails. If none of this had happened…" The boy sighed, "I probably would have had to admit that I wasn't ready for something like this. However, it did happen, and I've grown a lot over the past several weeks. Maybe more than I should have, but there isn't anything that you can do about that now and _now _I can handle this...with you, anyway. It's not like we're talking about a one night stand with some guy I barely know."

The silvered teenager suddenly frowned slightly, "And just for the record, I wasn't suggesting that we should set off to your room now and seal the deal or anything. I'm not a slut or a dog or -"

"I know and I wasn't planning on anything like that just yet anyway," Cloud agreed with a nod. "No offence, but it might take a little while for me to be comfortable with that."

"Not a problem," the teenager shrugged again before grinning. A slight blush ruined his otherwise confident façade. "So, didn't this conversation start by you wanting to kiss me again?"

Grinning, Cloud slid his hand up from the teen's shoulder and cupped the back of his head, tilting it up with his free hand as he pulled him close for another kiss. He allowed his hands to explore the youth's body this time, sliding them over every available plane of flesh, clothed or otherwise, and enjoyed the soft moans and sighs the boy released into the kiss as he did so. He moaned into Riku's mouth as well when he felt the teenager's hands move over his own chest, abs, arms, neck, face, and thighs. After several minutes, Cloud knew he needed to pull away, before their frantic pulses and roaming hands led the pair into territory they already knew they were not quite ready to approach.

Panting, the azure-eyed man straightened and looked down at the teenager. Riku's face was still tilted upwards and his eyes were still closed as he tried to steady his breathing. His face was flushed, his lips were bright and slightly swollen, and his hair was mussed, his bangs wispy. Cloud could not recall the last time he found anything so beautiful.

Cyan eyes slowly opened and focused on the man staring into them. The teenager smiled dazedly, "…Wow."

The ex-SOLDIER released a breathy laugh, "Yeah." He brushed the teen's bangs out of his face. "The first time…I was thinking that all this time spent focusing on more than kissing just made me forget how great just kissing could be, but after that, I think it's just kissing you."

Riku's eyes cleared as he blinked, and his smile became more pronounced, "Really? I haven't really…well, done _that _before."

"I could tell," commented Cloud with a grin. Riku looked slightly affronted and he leaned forward to kiss the boy's head. "Don't worry…you're good. It just took you a minute to let go at first, which told me you weren't sure what you were doing. In a few days, you're probably going to be able to knock me out with a single kiss."

The silvered teen blushed slightly and hit the older male's arm without any real force, "Whatever you say."

The blonde man pulled the embarrassed teen into a one-armed hug, stroking the boy's hair with his other hand. He felt a pair of slender, but surprisingly strong arms wrap around his waist and they remained standing that way for a long, comfortable moment. Cloud knew he was grinning like an idiot, and anyone might come by and see the pair, but he could not bring himself to pull away.

Riku pulled back gently after a moment though, looking at Cloud with mild concern. "You're sure you're fine? Phil said Hercules had to carry you away after Cerberus attacked you. What happened anyway?"

The ex-SOLDIER sighed contentedly and guided the boy towards the stairs as he answered, "Yes, I'm sure I'm fine. I just took one too many knocks and was eventually knocked out. Cerberus didn't even get to go full out on me." He and the teen sat down on the stairs; the man wrapped his arm around the teen's waist and the boy's attention was fixed on him. "I signed on to defeat Hercules in exchange for Hades finding someone for me. Today, he added something to the mix. I was supposed to take out a few guys that were doing better in the tournament than he expected. One of 'em was just a kid…I couldn't do it."

"Of course you couldn't." Riku rubbed the man's thigh with a slight grin. "I keep telling you you're not as dark as you seem to think you are."

"Yeah, well…you were right." The azure-eyed man smiled slightly at that thought. "Anyway, I called the whole thing off, which he didn't like, so he sicced Cerberus on me. I guess Hercules got him off me and then carried me away while that kid and his friends delivered the coupe de grâce…or that was the plan. I think they just knocked him out though."

The silvered teen shrugged lightly, "Eh, either way…at least everyone's all right." The way he looked over the older male told Cloud that he was mainly just pleased that _he _was all right.

The blonde man smiled at him, "Yeah. Well, the kid and his friends won the tournament and Hades is down one guard dog for a moment and one attack hound for life, so I guess sometimes everyone does get what they deserve."

"There you go," Riku smiled brightly, "Now you're looking at things the right way. So where are you going to go from here?"

"I think I'll check out my home world for anything useful…I doubt it'll do much good though. It was still overrun by Heartless the last I heard. Otherwise, I guess I'll stick around here for the most part. If everyone else who got off my home world is still alive, then they might hear about the games here and come around. Most of my friends were pretty talented fighters."

"I guess that's normal for this world of yours then," teased the teenager. He snickered when the man elbowed him lightly. "What is your home world called, anyway? You never said…"

"It's- Er, it's…" The ex-SOLDIER frowned. "I can't remember."

The teenager blinked, "You don't remember what your home was called? How long has it been since you left?"

"About nine years," the blonde man was still frowning slightly, "I get the feeling it isn't the time that's made me forget though…it's weird."

"Yeah, I'll say," replied Riku with a weak smile as he rubbed the man's thigh again.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll come back to me at some point," the azure-eyed man assured the younger male with a half smile of his own.

"Yeah, maybe going there will jog our memory." The silvered teen smiled slightly and -sensing that his lover did not truly want to discuss his fading memory- decided to change the subject. He grinned at the taller male, who watched him with an air of mild amusement once he saw the change in expression. "So who was this kid that saved your ass?"

"I don't know if I ever caught his name;" Cloud drew his brows in slightly as he tried to remember. "If I ever heard it, it didn't stick anyway. You can read his and his friends' names once Phil posts the awards roster. He was a short kid with spiky hair and big blue eyes…sort of like a younger, brunette version of me. Except he was a lot…bouncier than I ever was."

Riku sat straight as his face immediately turned serious, "Wait…was he about my age? Was he wearing a stupid jumper and all these primary colours?"

"Yes on all accounts," replied Cloud, looking over the boy who was now practically radiating excitement. "Why, does he sound like someone you kn-" Suddenly, the blonde man recalled the description that Riku had given of one of the friends he was searching for; one who happened to be his best friend. "…Oh."

"Yeah 'oh'. Hang on; I'll be right back." With that, Riku zipped into the Coliseum, paying no mind to the signs that read _Do not enter _and _Warning: construction under way_. Cloud was left sitting on the steps, blinking at the sudden change in the boy and the abrupt loss of the warm body cuddled up beside him.

Riku exited the Coliseum just as quickly, and Cloud reflexively stood and reached out slightly, ready to catch the teen if he fell from hitting the steps at a dead run. It proved to be unnecessary, as the teen was clearly used to moving at such a pace. However, Riku unceremoniously ran into the man's outstretched arms and wrapped his own around him. If it were not for his years of training and the Mako treatments, Cloud was sure he would have been bowled over. He wrapped his own arms around the silvered teen and looked down in concern for the few seconds before Riku looked up at him. He was practically beaming.

"It _was _him! Sora's alive…he made it out okay."

Cloud barely had time to register the words before the teen tightened his grip into another firm embrace, which he immediately returned. He could practically feel the relief coming off the teen in waves and he could not help but smile himself. He had seen how distressed the younger male was and how painstakingly he had been looking for his lost friends. Cloud knew that plenty of things could still go wrong, could still keep the boys apart, but he also knew the joy of just knowing that your friend's were alive after not being sure for so long. "That's wonderful Riku. Did Phil have any ideas about where Sora and the others were headed?"

Riku pulled away slightly so he could look at his lover as he shook his head, his smile faltering only slightly. "No, he didn't…but they did talk about the next tournament after the Coliseum is repaired. If all else fails, I'll probably be able to find him here when the games start up again. Hey, Phil said you talked to him before he left…did he seem okay? Did you hear anything that might indicate where they were headed? Who are the friends that entered with him?"

Cloud chuckled lightly, "Relax, Ku; one question a time. Gees, and to think I was beginning to wonder how an emotional bundle of energy like him and a cool, collected guy like you could be best friends." he shook his head and brushed Riku's bangs out of his face, chuckling again at the half-assed glare the youth was directing at him. "He seemed fine. I have no idea who the other two people were, but they definitely weren't from any place I've been before. They weren't even human…but they seemed nice, and Sora looked comfortable with them, as though they'd been friends for a long time."

Riku nodded, "That sounds like Sora. He makes friends pretty quickly…like, once he's met you -as long as you aren't an ass- you're his friend. It's kinda weird, but that's just him."

The blonde man nodded in return, "I know what you mean. I used to have a friend like that too. Anyway, I'm sorry, but he didn't say where he was going. He just said that he was searching for his light too. I told him not to give up and gave him a keychain for that weird weapon of his. That was pretty much it."

"He was looking for his light?" repeated the cyan-eyed teen, his brows drawn slightly. "Huh…I guess he must mean Kairi."

"You sure?" questioned Cloud. "He might have meant both of you…or even just you."

The silvered teen arched an eyebrow sceptically. "I really don't see Sora referring to me as his light…but friendship does mean a lot to him. He's a total people person…and he hates being alone. I guess he might have meant all his friends in general…"

"Are you sure about that?" The blonde man pressed. The corner of his lip turned upwards, as though he were fighting a teasing smile, but his eyes held a serious edge to them. "It isn't abnormal to crush on your friends at your age…especially one that seems so cool and confident all the time. He might have feelings-"

"He doesn't," interrupted the teen levelly. "He has a crush on Kairi…he has for some time now. I've been teasing him about it for months, trying to get him to fess up, but he's either too dense or embarrassed to say anything."

The azure-eyed man looked at the teen thoughtfully, "What about you?"

The cyan-eyed teen bit his lip and looked slightly embarrassed, but he sounded certain when he replied. "I thought I felt something, but like I said, I've grown a lot over the past few weeks. I guess I had a crush, but that's all it was and it's over now. Maybe it's because he was the only one who seemed to get me before…it's why he's my best friend. Trust me; I know what I want and whom I want. You don't have anything to worry about."

The blonde man grinned and leaned down to kiss the younger male again, this time slowly and carefully. "I know I don't," he whispered once they parted. "I suppose I need to stop trying to make sure you're sure of everything. You're right…you have grown a lot; more than a kid your age should have. I can't complain though…sorry."

The silvered teen shook his head and smiled at the older man. Suddenly, he looked thoughtful. "Wait a minute…did you say you gave him a keychain for an odd weapon he was wielding?"

"Yeah, it was really weird," Cloud answered with a nod. He thought for a moment and then added, "You know how I told you about my old friend who used a Gunblade? Well this was more like..." He gestured vaguely, not sure how to describe the strange weapon.

"…A Keyblade?" suggested Riku, looking slightly distant once Cloud nodded. "Why would Sora have a Keyblade…?"

"You've heard of it before? I've never seen anything like it." The azure-eyed man frowned, "Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know…" Cyan eyes rose to meet the man's almost apologetically, "I'm sorry, Cloud, but I'm going to have to try to find him…and I'll have to ask Maleficent a few questions. I don't like her, but she knows more about this than I do. I promise I'll come back…or maybe I could meet you on your home world while you're checking it out? I shouldn't take too long."

"Why don't I go with you then?" asked Cloud, suddenly having a bad feeling about letting the youth go alone. He wanted to write it off as protectiveness towards his new lover, but something told him it was more than that…that the boy was going to face something difficult; something Cloud might be able to help guide him through. "Obviously not into the castle," he added at the teen's worried look. "I know Maleficent wouldn't accept that, but I can wait for you at the ship or something."

Cyan eyes searched azure for a brief moment before the teen smiled lightly, "I'd like that. Thanks, Cloud."

The blonde man just shook his head as he stroked the teen's arms, not wanting to say that it was just as much for his own peace of mind that he was going with the boy. "So where exactly is this castle Maleficent has claimed?"

"It's on a world called Hallow Bastion," replied the cyan-eyed teenager as he pulled a slip of paper from one of his pockets. It contained a quickly hand sketched map of the worlds, with many left un-detailed and untitled. "It's right here…if he use these two black holes, then we should get there in two or three- Hey, what's so funny? …Cloud?"

The teenager looked up at the blonde man, whose shoulders were shaking slightly as he silently laughed. Cloud shook his head and took a steadying breath, "It isn't really that funny, it's just…the world your indicating is my home world."

The teen deadpanned, "Seriously?"

"Yeah; I guess all the Heartless wouldn't bother a witch like Maleficent." The azure-eyed man sobered as he looked at the homemade map. "The name still isn't ringing any bells though."

Riku shrugged, "Maybe that's just what she calls it. I've only heard the name from her."

Cloud nodded and folded the map, looking to Riku for permission before sliding it into his own pocket. "That could be it. Do you want to grab something to eat and then stock up on supplies before we head out?"

"Works for me," replied the teenager before he glanced around. He looked at the older male thoughtfully before speaking somewhat hesitantly. "Hey, when everything's repaired here, do you want to enter a tournament together? I never got to watch the last one, but it sounds like it could be fun."

"Hmm," Cloud smiled lightly at the teenager, "I never thought of entering with someone…it does sound like it could be fun." The smile deepened and he stroked the silvered teen's cheek, "I haven't really thought of doing things for fun in a long time."

Riku slid his hand up Cloud's abs, before resting it on his chest, "We're going to have to work on that, then. One thing I've learned from Sora and Kairi; you have to have a little fun now and again and it doesn't really hurt the progress of things in the end. I should have relaxed with them more when I had the chance…"

"You'll get the chance again;" Cloud promised himself that he would help his young lover have that chance. He did not want the teen to become the way he himself had been for many years. "Maybe you'll drag me along for the ride too."

"Oh, you can bet on that," commented the cyan-eyed boy with a smirk. "Now come on, let's get going." The teenager leaned up to kiss the ex-SOLDIER, proving that his skills in the department had already improved vastly since his first attempt only moments before.

Cloud moaned softly and deepened the kiss, pulling the teen closer to him and gently licking at his lips until they parted for him. He sighed when he felt Riku's arms wrap around his neck, their bodies flush together as he stretched up to allow the kiss to deepen.

The blonde man grinned when he felt Riku nuzzle his neck after they finally broke the kiss, then arched an eyebrow when he felt the teen's grin turn into a faint giggle. He moved back just enough to look down at the silvered youth, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Riku's grin and the mischievous gleam to his eyes, as well as the subtle blush over his cheeks, suggested otherwise. When Cloud continued watching him expectantly, the teenager's grin turned into a smirk. "I guess you were right…about me getting better at that."

"What makes you- _oh_…" Cloud's question was answered as the cyan-eyed teen subtly shifted his body, causing his belt to brush against the growing bulge in his lover's pants.

The silvered teenager chuckled lightly, "Sorry."

"That- That's fine, just…remind me to make sure the shower on the Gummi works," Cloud smirked as he brushed the teen's bangs away from his eyes. "I have a feeling I'll be taking several cold ones on the way to Hallow Bastion."

Riku turned away as he muttered quietly, "You aren't the only one…"

The blonde man's smirk broke into a true smile as he picked up on the other's words. He stepped forward and easily grabbed the boy's hand. Without a word, he started leading the teen toward the small tourist district, where they could eat and restock his ship for their journey after he checked out of his hotel room.

For the first time in years, the ex-SOLDIER was looking forward to the journey ahead.


End file.
